The Spinal Column

The use of the heels in Alignment Yoga cannot be understated. A solid exercise to begin igniting the heels' power involves pressing your heels into a wall. An Alignment Yoga teacher would never cue the heels down and flat against the floor in Adho Mukha Svanasana/downward facing dog. Your heels should look like my heels pressing against the wall. Even if you aren't practicing with a wall, you are still creating that resistant tension with your heels in the pose. Notice also how my toes are super tucked under, like in a Toe Stand stretch. Even if you have to manually assist your pinky toe, get it in a Toe Stand position. This New Age BS that there's no tension in Yoga, or rather, that the goal of Yoga is to release tension must be dispelled today. In Alignment Yoga we create tension exactly where we want it, and we use that tension to direct our pose. So from your downward facing dog position with your heels pressing into the wall, roll out into a high plank position kee...

Today we will discuss how the essence of a pose or asana itself can create the conditions for grounding. Although Part 4 of Alignment Yoga Quadrivium studies the components of 'How To Breathe', the 'How To Ground' principles must also include the attention to the breath. That is Number 1: Are you observing your inhale? Are you observing your exhale? Are you observing the space between the inhalation and the exhalation? The best pose to connect with the observation of breath is Makarasana, or Crocodile pose. In this prone position reclining pose you lay one hand gently on top of the other hand, widening the elbows like wings as you sink both the 'Third Eye' and stomache into the comfort of the earth. Now, the legs can be internally or externally rotated, but for our purposes, in accordance with the principle of 'Grounding The Breath', we will externally rotate our legs. So the heels and ankles are angled in toward the midline of the body. This allows The...

My teacher used to tell me that the purpose of all of our poses/asanas was to achieve Sukhasana, or 'Easy Seat'; the meditation seat. She also made it abundantly clear that to achieve a healthy 'J-curved spine' in Sukhasana is extremely challenging. Today, I'm going to explain the first grounding principles of 'Easy Seat', principles that will specify how to 1. Elevate the whole pelvis 2. Anchor the 'Sits Bones' or Ischial Tuberosity 3. Untuck the Tailbone or Coccyx The number one rule when practicing Sukhasana requires elevating the pelvis by sitting on a folded blanket, towel, or cushion. This prevents the crushing of the coccyx, and allows you the ability to untuck it. When you sit up on your prop, orient your 'Sits Bones' ever so slightly off the back edge of the blanket or cushion. It's a very subtle movement, but now that you are lifted, you can employ gravity to uncoil your tailbone, so having it over the edge gives you this ante...

A great tarot healer friend gave me feedback, and wanted more 'Foot To Knee Connection' content. In this micro clip you see me tracing a straight line from 'Toe 2.5' through the 'Center' of the knee cap. The great tarot healer inspired me to write this blog, so I take her comments very seriously:)